Page 112 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

He can’t be serious.

He can’t quit.

He loves the game.

He loves everything about it.

It’s what he was made for the same way Colt was.

Coach’s face is red with fury as Theo leans closer to him without an ounce of self-preservation. He’s being so reckless. So disrespectful. So freaking stupid. This is his future on the line. What the hell is he thinking?

This has gone too far.

Convinced there are going to be blows within the next two seconds, I march toward Theo, grab the collar of his jersey, and force him to look at me. “Stop talking, and get your ass on the ice.”

His face twists with disgust, though I’m not sure if it’s directed at Coach or himself. He grabs my face and rasps, “I’m gonna walk, Blake.”

“No. You’re not.”

“Blake,” he begs.

I pull away from him, the truth settling heavily on my shoulders. If I don’t remove myself from this situation, it could cause permanent damage to Theo’s career, and I can’t let it happen.

“You’ve done enough,” I murmur. My chest heaves as I turn to Coach, praying I have enough strength to keep my emotions in check until I can get to my car. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity I had to shadow Russ. It was a great experience, and I”––I swallow back my tears––“I can’t thank you enough.” Choking back the lump in my throat, I head toward the exit without another word as Theo yells after me.

I ignore him.

I ignore everything.

The way I’m dizzy with anger. And resentment. And hurt. I ignore it all, shove my key into the ignition, and pull out onto the main road. It only takes two seconds for the realization to hit like a ton of bricks.

I just lost everything I’ve been working for.

And it’s all Theo’s fault.

34

BLAKELY

I turned off my phone after silencing it for the tenth time. Between Colt and Theo, the thing vibrated for a solid two minutes until I put it out of its misery. If only I could so easily quiet the replay from the locker room. It’s been running in a constant loop in my head.

The door slams behind me as I step over the threshold and into the house, desperate to block out the world.

“What the––?” Mia’s head pops through the doorway of her room down the hall. She frowns. “What are you doing home? Aren’t you supposed to be at the game? Ash already left and is sitting with your mom in the stands. Is everything okay?”

A sardonic laugh bubbles out of my throat as I toss my keys onto the kitchen counter like they’re a grenade. “I just got fired.”

Her frowns deepens. “What?”

“I just got fired,” I repeat, hoping if I say it enough times, it’ll take away the sting.

Without a word, she walks down the hall toward me and opens her arms wide, taking me in for a hug.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I hold her close, unable to swallow back the lump in my throat any longer as the tears finally slip past my defenses.

I don’t know how long she hugs me, how long she lets the recent events settle into my bones. But the silence does shit to quiet my racing thoughts. I’m so overwhelmed. So frustrated. So…blown away by the entire situation.

“What happened?” she murmurs. Her voice is nothing but a breath in the otherwise quiet room.

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